Empire of Manners: Ottoman Sociability and War-Making in the Long Eighteenth Century
It is easy to believe that manners are empty gestures, little more than social artifice or practiced etiquette whose sole purpose is to project civility and facilitate social interaction. But if we look more closely, they can tell us much more than we might first suppose, revealing what conventional accounts of state, economy, and religion often ignore. With this book, James Grehan offers a panoramic view of manners and sociability across the eighteenth-century Ottoman Empire, from the Balkans to the Middle East to North Africa. Studying chronicles, biographical dictionaries, and travel accounts, he throws new light on the inner dynamics of Ottoman society during a transitional period in Ottoman history which has too often been misunderstood.

Empire of Manners proposes a new way of thinking about the history of manners, arguing that violence and war-making, as much as civility and etiquette, have a central role in shaping them. The eighteenth century proved to be a turning point in this paradoxical relationship between violence and manners as war-making turned into a substantially more complex and costly enterprise, leaving a deeper and wider social footprint. The interplay between violence and manners, an unlikely couple, unexpectedly narrates the Ottoman path to the modern age.

1147034516
Empire of Manners: Ottoman Sociability and War-Making in the Long Eighteenth Century
It is easy to believe that manners are empty gestures, little more than social artifice or practiced etiquette whose sole purpose is to project civility and facilitate social interaction. But if we look more closely, they can tell us much more than we might first suppose, revealing what conventional accounts of state, economy, and religion often ignore. With this book, James Grehan offers a panoramic view of manners and sociability across the eighteenth-century Ottoman Empire, from the Balkans to the Middle East to North Africa. Studying chronicles, biographical dictionaries, and travel accounts, he throws new light on the inner dynamics of Ottoman society during a transitional period in Ottoman history which has too often been misunderstood.

Empire of Manners proposes a new way of thinking about the history of manners, arguing that violence and war-making, as much as civility and etiquette, have a central role in shaping them. The eighteenth century proved to be a turning point in this paradoxical relationship between violence and manners as war-making turned into a substantially more complex and costly enterprise, leaving a deeper and wider social footprint. The interplay between violence and manners, an unlikely couple, unexpectedly narrates the Ottoman path to the modern age.

140.0 Out Of Stock
Empire of Manners: Ottoman Sociability and War-Making in the Long Eighteenth Century

Empire of Manners: Ottoman Sociability and War-Making in the Long Eighteenth Century

by James Grehan
Empire of Manners: Ottoman Sociability and War-Making in the Long Eighteenth Century
Add to Wishlist
Empire of Manners: Ottoman Sociability and War-Making in the Long Eighteenth Century

Empire of Manners: Ottoman Sociability and War-Making in the Long Eighteenth Century

by James Grehan

Overview

It is easy to believe that manners are empty gestures, little more than social artifice or practiced etiquette whose sole purpose is to project civility and facilitate social interaction. But if we look more closely, they can tell us much more than we might first suppose, revealing what conventional accounts of state, economy, and religion often ignore. With this book, James Grehan offers a panoramic view of manners and sociability across the eighteenth-century Ottoman Empire, from the Balkans to the Middle East to North Africa. Studying chronicles, biographical dictionaries, and travel accounts, he throws new light on the inner dynamics of Ottoman society during a transitional period in Ottoman history which has too often been misunderstood.

Empire of Manners proposes a new way of thinking about the history of manners, arguing that violence and war-making, as much as civility and etiquette, have a central role in shaping them. The eighteenth century proved to be a turning point in this paradoxical relationship between violence and manners as war-making turned into a substantially more complex and costly enterprise, leaving a deeper and wider social footprint. The interplay between violence and manners, an unlikely couple, unexpectedly narrates the Ottoman path to the modern age.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781503643383
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Publication date: 09/09/2025
Series: Stanford Ottoman World Series: Critical Studies in Empire, Nature, and Knowledge
Pages: 362
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

James Grehan is Professor of History at Portland State University. His previous book is Twilight of the Saints: Everyday Religion in Ottoman Syria and Palestine (2014).

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Map of the Ottoman Empire, c. 1750
Introduction
1. Presenting the Body
2. Pleasure Wins Again
3. Polite Manners
4. The Expansion of Polite Society
5. Honorable Manners
6. Rough Manners
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
From the B&N Reads Blog
Page 1 of

Related Subjects

History
Middle Eastern History
European History
Turkey - History
History
Middle Eastern History
European History
Turkey - History

Customer Reviews